Yawn: A Grab Bag of Boring Updates

It is winter, therefore there are few developments in New England bicycle racing. I have no comment on Lance, Floyd or any of the other dopers. If I hear of any cat 3's doping, then I'll have something to say.

But there have been developments with me. Boring ones. But if you are reading this blog, you are either my friend or you have no life. Either way, you'll probably continue to read.

Firstly, it appears that I will be allowed to race Battenkill. I was half hoping that Dieter Drake would bar me, so that he could further embarrass himself on the Internet, but it seems as if his level headed colleagues silenced him on this topic. Thankfully for us bored cyclists, DD continues to embarrass himself and his organization on other forums with other interlocutors. When asked about my Bkill status, I have been half joking that Dieter is allowing to me race, but that he is going run a race predictor and use the results to stack whatever field they place me in. Resultsboy: I am counting on you to inform me if there is an inordinate amount of activity on the predictor originating in Cambridge, NY between now and April 10th.

As many of you know, my back crapped out on my last fall. It sucked and I slogged down a very slow road to recovery. There was PT, stretching, a medical bicycle fitting and lots of forced rest. My 2010 cyclocross season was a huge letdown because of it. I have recovered. My back feels great. Once in a while it stiffens up while training hard, but it has not been a limiter.

Training: I am killing it. I'm recently divorced, single and have no life. I have NOTHING better to do than make Watts. Never before have I been so motivated to ride the trainer and lift weights (2 of my least favorite training activities). I won't bore you with numbers and schedules, but I have been getting in the miles and making puddles of sweat on a scuzzy yoga mat.

Actually, I dated someone briefly, but she couldn't handle the rigors of dating a competitive cyclist. She complained about my healthy diet and the weight I was losing (more on that shortly). But the Coup d'Grace: she was trying to cut into my training time. Some of my friends are married and have infants. When their spouses make demands on their training time, I get it. But if that shit is happening inside the couple months, what the hell would happen during cross season when I am away every other weekend?

I am losing weight. According to Kyle Smith's fancy, well-calibrated bathroom scale I have lost 10 pounds since Dec 1st. I put the real number closer to 5 pounds. My point is that SHIT IS GETTING REAL out here. Actually, I just took Nick Mashburn's advice: I cut all corn syrup out of my diet and I eat almost all whole grains. Matt and Mo got my onto Bob Red Mill cereals, which is helping. Thanks guys.

Back to training. I am driving to Georgia where I'll spend a solid week training (Feb 20-27th) in the Chatahoochee National Forest. It is going to be inexpensive and intense. I am hoping for a Rocky IV vibe at the "camp." I am booking a cabin tomorrow and will have room for more riders...hit me up if you are interested in coming down for any part of the week.

Bicycles: My Basso continues to be a steadfast winter bicycle. Last year, I upgraded the drivetrain to 1o speed so that I could use my PowerTap with that bike. My front derailleur setup is a bit of a frankenbike though. I have a 8 Speed Campagnolo Croce d'Aune crank with 10 speed Centaur Chainrings shifted by a ? speed Suntour SuperbePro front derailleur. It is finicky. I am averaging 1.25 dropped chains every 100 miles. I tuned it again last night, but I think that the spacing between the chainrings on the spider is too wide for 10 speed...but I am not sure why this would drop the chain...I may have to go have The Wilcox look at it if I drop the chain after this tune up.

I am revamping my IF for 2011: I am "upgrading" the Shifters to 2009 Centaur from 2007 Record. The upgrade is in the shape of the hoods. I have been using a set of the 2009 Centaur on my cross bike and I love them.

I got a set of the Look Keo Carbon Max 2 Pedals. They are the same as the old Keo, EXCEPT they have a metal plate on top of the spindle where Keo's normally wear out prematurely. I have high hopes for these pedals. Mostly, I hope they last longer than all my other Keo's have.

And, for those sloppy early season races (I'm hoping for torrential down pores at Battenkill), I got a set of Michelin ProRace3 700x25's. I weighed many tire options for these types of events and 25 mm clinchers are the most versatile and Michelins have served me well over the years. Honestly, I want some sloppy sufferfests. As you may know, when conditions deteriorate, I become a cat 3 Jens Voigt.

New White Arione saddle.

Obviously, I am recabling the bike, new silver bartape.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I got a second PowerTap. With Mavic Carbone Tubular rims. My conversion to a data junky is now complete, since I will be racing with a PT more than half the time. Switching PT wheels is simple with the Joule computer. Its literally a matter of going into an easy-to-access menu and selecting which wheel you want to use. If you can't find the PT in the computer, you can easily prompt the Joule to create a new PowerTap in its memory. The Joule is awesome and I hope that the new wheels are too.

Ok, now you know what is up in my tiny little world.

I hope that your training is going well.